Protecting our rights

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke.

The cause motivating the Wollongong Against Corruption group – democracy – is the same one that many Australians over the years have fought and died to protect.

This is something worth remembering when we decide whether or not we care about our right to elect our own local government representatives – or whether we are content to leave Wollongong in the hands of unelected administrators for the next four years.

Many have noted a certain air of apathy and resignation among local citizens in recent times. We seem to have forgotten that Wollongong belongs to us, and that our elected representatives are there to serve our interests.

We have also forgotten that small groups of people caring enough about their rights have repeatedly changed the course of history.

Right now, we risk Wollongong being viewed as an under-funded scandal-plagued and corrupt city that stands out in unemployment figures.

We can accept this situation, or we can use the very real power that we have to restore pride and dignity to the town that we love – and show those who only know us as the home of ‘Gong-Gate’ what we are truly made of.

We can do this by demanding that our basic democratic rights, so hard-won by our forefathers, are not stripped away.